Recently Wargaming happily announced a HD version of Klondike, but the chance of getting into a Grand Battle (GB) is so low, that I haven't seen the map so far. Actually, I haven't had a GB the last 3-4 months

So, Wargaming, where are the Grand Battles???
For now it feels like the development of GB is a pure waste of time and money. As far as I know, the GB was developed in order to reduce the amount of tier 10 vehicles in the MM queue, which reduces the amount of top tier 10 tanks bullying tier 8 tanks. We all know the recent crapstorm about Wargaming going to adjust premium MM tanks, because they messed with the MM mechanic, causing all tier 8 tanks to be matched against tier 10. At least, that is what Wargaming says. Another reason for the development of GB was to provide tier 10 tankers with a different challenge, so they would stop seal clubbing lower tier battles. For me, personally speaking, GBs offer me the option to farm Bonds, as I do not have the time to partake in events where you can gain lot of Bonds. So, multiple reasons to have GBs...

Wargaming, why don't you introduce a battle mode button, that allows players to explicitly pick a Grand Battle, just like you did with the Frontline and which currently exists for Team Battles/Strongholds/Clan Wars? Another question, haven't you noticed that the amount of players getting into a GB is too damn low? I frequently ask other players via chat if they had a GB recently and they all say the same 'nope'...
I think that the solution for this is really simple, just add that button that I just mentioned. For now, I will just park my tier 10 in the garage, pick a premium MM tank, play lower tiers and discourage new players from continuing down the tech tree because they just got clubbed to death.

If they did that. It also need to pick players from randoms that have it on in the settings. But that alone won't work. As it's not rewarding to play besides those that want to do PM. Boost the income a tiny bit vs randoms.. or make it cheaper to repair. Make it a bit more rewarding to play is a must if they want it to work. FL was popular for many reasons. Real easy to make credits as you could use tier 8 prems, thus also great for crew training. And some wanted the camo rewards to name a few.

So making it less taxing to play vs credits for tier X. Add some camo rewards or even female crews via event-based missions, or something that you grind over time. Like getting 100 000 damage blocked etc just to keep it simple, yet rewarding. That's the only way GB will work again after what FL showed.

Grand Battles are too rare... Sucks. The only place where Personal Missions are much easier, and you can't even get into any matches. I've only got a few hard ones left to do with honors, and...yeah, I'd have to pray to matchmaker RNGesus every hour of every day for like, 3 full months and MAYBE THEN I'll be given a battle in GB.

Besides personal missions, there is no need to play Grand Battles. They are unrewarding, time consuming end even more of an endurance test for your stress level than regular battles with half the amount of players, even the missions and grinding some basic bonds are fairly doable in normal randoms. The only profit from the possibility to choose via a battle mode button would be, that I dont have to worry every patch about WG sneaking in a checkmark in the "Activated game modes - Grand Battles" box.

Any content that is aimed at tierX only if doomed to die sooner or later, because playing tierX is too expensive to run and it does not help you with the grind, thus removing a huge portion of player base from the potential users of that content.

Recently Wargaming happily announced a HD version of Klondike, but the chance of getting into a Grand Battle (GB) is so low, that I haven't seen the map so far. Actually, I haven't had a GB the last 3-4 months

So, Wargaming, where are the Grand Battles???
For now it feels like the development of GB is a pure waste of time and money. As far as I know, the GB was developed in order to reduce the amount of tier 10 vehicles in the MM queue, which reduces the amount of top tier 10 tanks bullying tier 8 tanks. We all know the recent crapstorm about Wargaming going to adjust premium MM tanks, because they messed with the MM mechanic, causing all tier 8 tanks to be matched against tier 10. At least, that is what Wargaming says. Another reason for the development of GB was to provide tier 10 tankers with a different challenge, so they would stop seal clubbing lower tier battles. For me, personally speaking, GBs offer me the option to farm Bonds, as I do not have the time to partake in events where you can gain lot of Bonds. So, multiple reasons to have GBs...

Wargaming, why don't you introduce a battle mode button, that allows players to explicitly pick a Grand Battle, just like you did with the Frontline and which currently exists for Team Battles/Strongholds/Clan Wars? Another question, haven't you noticed that the amount of players getting into a GB is too damn low? I frequently ask other players via chat if they had a GB recently and they all say the same 'nope'...
I think that the solution for this is really simple, just add that button that I just mentioned. For now, I will just park my tier 10 in the garage, pick a premium MM tank, play lower tiers and discourage new players from continuing down the tech tree because they just got clubbed to death.

4 arty per side on a map with obvious hotspots is what happened to GB's. Grand Battles are like an unlicenced version of the Frontlines. To play those, you mind as well play the Frontline instead.

Also, playing Tier X up there isn't the best way of getting credits, more so when most of the tanks in the queue will be either tank destroyers or heavy tanks. For those, you need gold ammo more often than not.

Players complained that they constantly had terribad teams when playing their tier 10s, wanted a challenge, blah, blah, so WG introduced Grand Battles to give the players what they'd been asking for and the players said, "actually, no, I want to be top tier and not have too much of a challenge after all" and turned it off. Thus tier 8 is wrecked because 3/5/7 means they're facing those tier 10s that aren't matching into GBs and there's plenty of those in the queue because those players would rather beat up tier 8s than face other tier 10s.

Okay, many replies with people don't like tier 10 and/or don't like GB, that is fine. But, keep in mind, this post is for the players that do want GB. Like me, I have a Leopard 1, it is extremely enjoyable to play with it in GB. GBs are the only maps that guarantee me with some sniping distance. To be honest, I still need to learn if I think the same about this in different tanks, but so far playing with me E100 was also nice in GB.

1. Map size, bigger map yes, but compared to say a 1km map with 30 tanks, actually having 60 on a 1.4km map means the available space is actually smaller and you have more tier 10 tanks clustered in spots so you don't feel the benefit of a bigger map.

2. Map design, too many base camping spots on these maps meant that you didn't want to attack ever because you would get wrecked by 10 camping tier 10 TDs. It is utter stupidity to give players who camp basically where they spawn spots that have elevation, hard cover, concealment and that can only be approached by crossing open ground. Added to them being on the redline so are not flankable, you have spots that are basically OP and players do not have to contest for them.

3. Ammo issues, tanks like the Bat Chat, T57 etc. still have their same ammo loadouts so can easily run out of ammo and become useless.

4, You can't do MOEs on them, which means some people aren't going to bother with them.

5. Arty, 4 arty is just too much on such a campy spot, it means some unlucky person can get focused by 4 arties, and that is not fun in the slightest. Just adds to campiness of the map and the unfun nature of the gamemode.

IMO they should forget the mode and just put the maps into the 15v15 random map rotation. We stupidly have to play 15v15 at tier 10 on 600m and 800m tiny maps like Ensk and Mines, why can't we play 15v15 on 1.4km maps?

You get an abyssal balancing, mix that with excessivly bad map design and you get a mode everyone is going to disable after 10 battles.

Well to quote myself here....

If there would be the option to disable all the recent map additions? How many people would NOT disable them? I guess if there would be that option hardly anyone would play the latest cancers.

Strappster, on 12 July 2018 - 09:06 PM, said:

Players complained that they constantly had terribad teams when playing their tier 10s, wanted a challenge, blah, blah, so WG introduced Grand Battles to give the players what they'd been asking for and the players said, "actually, no, I want to be top tier and not have too much of a challenge after all" and turned it off. Thus tier 8 is wrecked because 3/5/7 means they're facing those tier 10s that aren't matching into GBs and there's plenty of those in the queue because those players would rather beat up tier 8s than face other tier 10s.

No not necessairly. People just dont like the completly garbage balancing of tier 10. I guess the Frontlines modes success is partially due to it being tier 8 and not cancerous tier 10 gameplay. Besides the better economy of tier 8 the gameplay is much more enjoyable as wlel as all the min/max balancing appreach is much less present on tier 8.

BSc_vanEe, on 13 July 2018 - 07:06 AM, said:

Okay, many replies with people don't like tier 10 and/or don't like GB, that is fine. But, keep in mind, this post is for the players that do want GB. Like me, I have a Leopard 1, it is extremely enjoyable to play with it in GB. GBs are the only maps that guarantee me with some sniping distance. To be honest, I still need to learn if I think the same about this in different tanks, but so far playing with me E100 was also nice in GB.

Well you will soll realize that Leo1 is one if not the worst tier 10 tank out there. And no. Grand battles dont offer more space. Leo1 is useless either way. Sorry but at some point you willl realize that.

GB should be MUST in tier X in every 4-6th battles and no options ON/OFF about this mode( implemented in MM)....because every one in complaining at 3/5/7 (when they are VIII) and still has GB disabled in hope of bulling lower tiers,with no skill required Just hypokrites